Cricket-Match-Special ... A forum for discussion

What now?

I'd drop Bess and call Ali up again.

Can't just give Bess a game.

I'd replace Wood. England should be able to look for a third seamer as Anderson, Broad, Stokes offer a reasonably reliable attack otherwise. A spinner is really is exposed in the England side.

Stoneman should be next closest to the exit. Perhaps he should get the rest of the series.

Arthur Crabtree wrote:Can't just give Bess a game.

I'd replace Wood.

can't just give him a game

I have a feeling we might find that England were just a bit unlucky... no changes required

Durhamfootman wrote:

Arthur Crabtree wrote:Can't just give Bess a game.

I'd replace Wood.

can't just give him a game

Wood's had 12 Tests!

He's now got the worst bowling average of any specialist England pace bowler to have played more than ten Tests (he went past Paul Allott in this game).

You might argue for David Capel, though he was an allrounder. But if you include everyone, only Capel has worse.

Which wouldn't matter if he showed a little quality that might to amount to something one day. He looks like a skiddy bowler who might reverse swing the ball, but he practically never reverse swings the ball. He isn't hostile, he gets little sideways movement. But he may have a role as a limited overs bowler, so there's still a future there for him.

It's a tad difficult to know if changes will be made. Wholesale changes would be an admission that the selection process was badly wrong and can a new chief selector say that after a single Test in charge? I'd personally drop Stoneman as he's in terrible form, Jennings has been making runs and it would be a justifiable choice. That said, Bayliss basically came out and said the LVCC doesn't mean anything.

Yet, what do we expect from the status quo? I think Id be confident enough to say that apart from Bess, who has now 1 wicket in 3 first class games this year, we kind of already have a pretty good indication of the players in this team and what they are capable of.

Cook - In a decline, but still going to play due to limited options. Has put up numbers that are good on paper, but those are heavily weighted by one off scores that went big. His median worth is pretty abject.

Stoneman - If he comes back I give up.... NEVER should have been near the first test squad.

Jennings - Couldnt get a bat on ball last summer, been picked on the back of a two match sustained form. Averaged 20 for the Lions in the winter with no significant score.

Root - Of form as a bat, but obviously stone cold safe..... terrible captain with no ideas, and discipline issues on his watch.

Malan - Averaging in the 20s in 13 tests, not good enough and should be replaced.

Stokes - Maybe in prison soon. Not played FC much.

Bairstow - Only averaged over 31 in one year of his career. On a long patch of very average form but has been promoted to a more influential position. Questionable keeper.

Buttler - No FC score of note in years. Already played nearly 20 and has not been good enough

Broad - Couple of average years I think. Not looking sharp, under paced, wonder how long with how much he played, he can go on for. Looks in decline.

Anderson - 36 next month. Probably wont be around in the very near future

Wood - As AC says, worst bowling average ever for a bowler to play as much. Not played hardly, lost pace, never fit, no longer term form. Why is he there?

Not a single player is bang on form, and almost certain to be in the squad in a years time.

The selectors are essentially saying with these squads that its ok to average high 20s or low 30s. This is what we have accepted as being worthy of continued picks this summer. Now I cant stand those counter arguments, the "but who is there to come in" nonsense. Anybody, quite literally. The system is completely broken, it will remain broken unless you attempt to fix it. You cant guarantee people will come in and do well, but we can guarantee that this current team is way below acceptable standards, and have become consistently so. We can sit there holding our Mitchell Johnson's waiting for the same inadequate bunch to perform, or we can at least try to make some positive changes.

Bess is a tailender, and he batted better than a lot of our top order have done recently. So if a young lad with hardly any FC runs can come in under pressure and put a score on the board, whos to say others cant? We need to find the right people. But no ones on form? Well who is bang on form in the team? 5 of our top 6 in recent times dont average over 40 in county cricket. If somethings broken, fix it.

Bairstow is one of our better FC players. Take the gloves off him and throw them at Buttler, we need runs, and Bairstow and Buttler are hardly much separation in quality behind the stumps. Stokes, sorry but we need a proper number 6 who bats, not a bits and pieces option who will average 35. If he doesnt fit lower down, then dont play him. We arent making enough runs. We cant afford to accomodate people in a top 6 that arent at least aspiring to be test class bats.

And can we please get rid of Wood.

So of course Tuffers and Vaughan wax lyrical about the bowling

How would this be:

Gubbins
Jennings
Hildreth (always thought he was unlucky not to get a go, been one of the CC's most consistent performers)
Root
Livingstone
Foakes (wk)
Stokes
Broad
Leach (if fit)
Coad
Anderson

Surely couldn't do any worse than the current lot?

Livingstone is having a poor start to the season, so he's ruling himself out of contention until he scores some runs. It's daft to pick players who are clearly out of form.

Hildreth should have had a cap years ago. At 33 he'd be a short term fix, but would provide the class needed while the rest of the team stabilises. Not sure why you'd be dropping Cook given he just played a very good innings in the last Test!

There's no natural number three among the middle order candidates and it's too hard to fill a second opener spot to suggest playing a third opener in that position is going to work. Play Root there.

Hildreth might have had a go 3-4 years ago. But if he's the best middle order bat available, he should be picked until the time he isn't any more.

Hildreth clearly at some point has tried to bonk someones daughter at an end of season party. Pretty mental given the dross around that he never got a test pick.

Reading this it appears England are in a lot of trouble.

long summer ahead?

Going to be a long slump.

Some might be compensated by the emergence of a good ODI side. The game is beset by:

A shrinking of public interest and participation (see Sky deal, sales of playing fields)
Cuts to the successful second tier Lions project.
Failures of coaching and player interest in the long form.
The sidelining of the historic county championship.